Department for Transport

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate availability of fast charging points to meet demand for electric vehicles between 2020-30.

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to introduce standards for availabililty of fast charging points for electric vehicles by (a) distance between points and (b) availability for public charging without subscription.

Grant Shapps: Our vision is to have one of the best infrastructure networks in the world for electric vehicles, and we want chargepoints to be accessible, affordable and secure. The number of rapid chargepoints is increasing quickly, with 2,400 devices currently publicly available, but we recognise there is more to do. Along with the private sector the Government will invest £1 billion in charging infrastructure – making sure that everyone is within 30 miles of a rapid charging station for electric vehicles. Our grant schemes and the £400m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see thousands more electric vehicle charge-points installed across the UK. In particular, the first £70 million of the Charging Infrastructure Investment fund is expected to deliver an additional 3,000 rapid chargepoints by 2024.In July last year, work commenced to determine a vision for a core rapid charger network on England’s strategic road network. This will report in Spring 2020. Highways England has already committed £15m to ensure there are chargepoints (rapid where possible) every 20 miles on 95% of the Strategic Road Network by the end of 2020.

Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Departments policy is on the maximum desirable length of roadworks on motorways.

Grant Shapps: When designing its road works, Highways England uses the guidance provided in the Department for Transport published Traffic Signs Manual: Chapter 8. This recommends that road works are limited to a maximum of 6km (around 3 and ¾ miles), although the adoption of longer lengths of road works is permissible providing they do not create unacceptable impacts. Where longer lengths of road works are adopted, site specific risk assessments are required to identify the safe maximum length. Limiting all road works to a maximum length would increase both costs and duration of some works due to the activities undertaken.

Highways England: Pay

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff at Highways England received a salary of more than £100,000 in the last financial year.

Grant Shapps: Highways England employed 61 staff on a base salary of £100,000 or more in 2019-20. I have committed in the House to addressing this issue.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been allocated from the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme guidance to Central Bedfordshire Council.

Grant Shapps: The On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) is a demand-led funding scheme which assists local authorities with the cost of installing chargepoints in residential streets. The funding available is for 75% of the capital costs of procuring and installing the chargepoint and an associated dedicated parking bay, and is administered by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). In October 2019, I wrote to all local authorities encouraging them to send their strategies for infrastructure deployment and to take advantage of ORCS funding. Last month we announced that Government funding will be doubled to £10 million for the installation of chargepoints on residential streets next year. This could support as many as 3,600 chargepoints for those that do not have off-street parking. To date, no applications have been made for funding through ORCS from Central Bedfordshire Council. Luton Borough Council, which is in Bedfordshire, has applied for funding under the scheme and has been awarded £23,336 to support the installation of nine chargepoints.

Cycling: Urban Areas

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to promote cycling in towns and cities in England.

Grant Shapps: The first Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy - Report to Parliament published on the 7th February 2020 provides full details of the steps the Department is taking to promote cycling and walking. This includes details of the £2.4 billion which is being invested in cycling and walking over the five years to 2020/21 through the statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. Funding has been provided for provision of safe and direct cycling and walking networks, cycle training and a range of behaviour change and modeshift activities.

Motor Vehicles: Urban Areas

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to discourage the use of cars in major urban areas.

Grant Shapps: Local Highway Authorities are responsible for the maintenance and management of the local road network within their areas and this includes measures to help reduce road congestion. It is the for the Leaders and Mayors of local and Combined Authorities to decide how best to manage the relative mix of traffic in their cities. The Government is tackling congestion across England through investment in roads, public transport and active travel. The £2.5bn Transforming Cities Fund is empowering 18 city regions to deliver improvements to commuter connectivity which will provide faster, more reliable transport links such as new light rail, bus or cycling infrastructure. The Government has also recently announced a further £5bn of investment in buses and cycling across England.Through the National Roads Fund, the Government is providing £28.8bn which will fund vital improvements on the Strategic Road Network and on the Major Roads Network. The Government is committed to decarbonisation of transport and is consulting on bringing forward the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible. The Government is also supporting areas that have identified Clean Air Zones as a means of reducing Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) to legal levels by charging older, dirtier vehicles for entering an area.

Buses: Hydrogen

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of hydrogen buses to private bus companies.

Grant Shapps: Since 2010 the Government has invested around £150 million towards new cleaner buses. The Government has supported the use of a range of low carbon bus technologies, including hydrogen, through funds including the Low Emission and Ultra Low Emission Bus Schemes. These schemes have provided funding for the purchase of 62 hydrogen buses. We have also announced a review of bus funding and an upcoming National Bus Strategy, which will consider how to support the uptake of low carbon bus technologies.

M1: Accidents

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents involving (a) serious injury and (b) death occurred between Junctions 32 and 35A of the M1 in (i) each year since March 2017 and (ii) each of the three years before March 2017.

Grant Shapps: Any death on our roads is one too many. We want our roads to be as safe as possible. That is why I’ve asked the Department to carry out an evidence stocktake to gather the facts about the safety of smart motorways and make recommendations. The Department will present the findings of the stocktake shortly. While I would not want to pre-judge the results of that work, what I can say is that we will continue to prioritise improving safety – making conditions safer for everyone on our roads. The Roads Minister will write to you as soon as the stocktake is completed to answer your specific question.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Opencast Mining

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) unrestored  and (b) restored former open cast sites across the UK.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department does not hold records relating to the status of surface mine sites as overall planning approval and specific agreement to a restoration plan, detailing how the land will be landscaped once the site has been mined, is a matter for individual Local Planning Authorities (LPA). The LPA is also responsible for the monitoring of any restoration work and ensuring the planning applicant has the financial backing to complete the work.

Climate Change

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the process is for the UK establishing its intended nationally determined contributions.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Following our departure from the EU, the UK will be bringing forward its own, increased NDC well ahead of COP26. The UK NDC will be built on the foundations of well-established UK analysis and policy development for domestic climate change mitigation, used to set the UK’s fifth carbon budget (2028-32) under the Climate Change Act.

Committee On Climate Change

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what responsibilities the Committee on Climate Change will have in establishing the UK's intended nationally determined contributions.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) was established by the Climate Change Act 2008, as the independent statutory body that provides expert advice to the Government and the Devolved Administrations on climate change mitigation and adaptation. This includes advice on the level of each carbon budget, the respective contributions that different sectors could make and the extent to which carbon budgets could be met through the use of flexibilities. The target year for the UK’s upcoming Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) falls within the UK’s fifth carbon budget period (2028-32). We will be bringing forward a UK NDC well ahead of COP26, which will be built on the foundations of the well-established UK analysis and policy development that informed the setting of the fifth carbon budget. The CCC published its advice to Government on the level of the fifth carbon budget in November 2015 and the budget was set in June 2016, in line with the requirements of the Climate Change Act.

Climate Change

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether she plans to align the UK's intended nationally determined contributions with Government policy on achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Kwasi Kwarteng: In June 2019, the UK government set a legally binding target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from across the UK economy by 2050. We are the first major economy in the world to legislate for a net zero target, which will end the UK’s contribution to climate change. 2020 will be a vital Year of Climate Action across the UK, and we will be setting out ambitious plans in the run-up to COP26 to deliver on our world-leading net zero ambition.Following our departure from the EU, the UK will be bringing forward its own, increased NDC well ahead of COP26. The UK NDC will be built on the foundations of well-established UK analysis and policy development for domestic climate change mitigation, used to set the UK’s fifth carbon budget (2028-32) and described in the Clean Growth Strategy. In its Net Zero advice, the Committee on Climate Change was clear that the Clean Growth Strategy continues to offer the right framework for the ambitious action needed to deliver net zero.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans she has to maintain the Renewable Heat Incentive after March 2021.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) has budget confirmed until March 2021. We are considering a full range of options for successor arrangements to the RHI, in line with the Government’s commitment to achieving net zero.

Motor Vehicles: Sales

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the (a) additional grid capacity and (b) electricity generating requirements that will be needed to achieve the ban of internal combustion engine sales by 2035.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We are consulting on bringing forward the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles; including hybrids under this definition for the first time, to 2035, or earlier if feasible. We will be engaging with stakeholders, including those in the energy sector, to understand what support will be required to enable this transition, and minimise the impact on businesses, workers and consumers across the UK, building on the significant demand and supply side measures in place. Our analysis suggests limited additional impact on electricity generation capacity up to 2030. The electricity market is already set up to promote investment in generation capacity to meet demand; for example, the Contracts for Difference scheme facilitates significant investment in low-carbon generation. This complements numerous measures to ensure a smarter, more flexible energy system, increasing the efficiency of the electricity system to prepare for electric vehicles. Ofgem, the independent energy regulator, is developing its next set of energy network price controls to incentivise network companies to be ready for the future needs of the energy system, including the required capacity required to support EVs. ‘Smart’ charging of electric vehicles (at off-peak times) can reduce demand from Electric Vehicle charging at peak times. Government has taken powers in the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act to mandate that all charge points sold or installed in the UK must be smart enabled and has recently consulted on secondary regulations. Government has also invested £30 million to support vehicle-to-grid technology, where the storage capability of electric vehicle batteries provides electricity back to the grid.

Buildings: Insulation

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to support people who have been supplied with substandard cavity wall insulation; and what plans the Government has for improved regulation of the insulation sector.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department has published consumer guidance for householders who suspect they have received faulty cavity wall insulation. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cavity-wall-insulation-cwi-consumer-guide-to-issues-arising-from-installations.The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme requires a 25-year guarantee to be provided to householders for all cavity wall insulation. The guarantee provides instructions if there are problems related to the insulation product or its installation.Where cavity wall insulation is installed under ECO, the installation must also be compliant with the most recent provisions of the Publicly Available Specification (PAS); this sets out the specifications for the installation of energy efficiency measures in existing dwellings, including cavity wall insulation. The standard sets out requirements which aim to ensure that the installation is suitable for the property and installed to high standards. TrustMark is delivering the new Government endorsed quality framework for energy efficiency measures which was launched in October 2018. The framework ensures an improved and comprehensive consumer protection process, including guarantees and a redress scheme.From 1 January 2019 all relevant measures (including cavity wall insulation) installed under the ECO scheme must be delivered by a Trustmark approved installer and compliant with the Trustmark framework requirements.

UK Trade with EU: Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the written statement of 3 February 2020, HCWS86 on UK-EU relations, and the EU draft negotiating directives published on 3 February 2020, whether she plans to make tackling climate change a priority for a future trade agreement between the EU and the UK.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We want a relationship with the EU which is based on friendly cooperation between sovereign equals, and centred on free trade. We will have a relationship with our European friends inspired by our shared history and values. The UK is committed to delivering our world-leading commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions and end the UK’s contribution to global warming by 2050. As my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister set out in his speech in Greenwich on the 3 February: “Britain was the first major economy in the world – let alone the EU – to place upon our own shoulders a legal obligation to be carbon neutral by 2050.” As we prepare to host the crucial 2020 UN climate negotiations, COP26, in Glasgow in November, we will push for ambitious action from all countries to deliver the 2015 Paris Agreement, and showcase the UK’s climate leadership.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the offshore wind Sector Deal, published on 7 March 2019, what information her Department collects on progress towards the offshore wind industry’s target of 60 per cent UK content by 2030.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Offshore Wind Sector has an industry agreed methodology to measuring the lifetime UK content of offshore windfarm. So far, the Offshore Wind Programme Board has published reports into UK content twice, in 2015 & 2017. At the last Offshore Wind Industrial Council in November 2019, BEIS requested OWIC to provide an update on the UK content figures. The latest report on the amount of UK lifetime content in offshore wind farms, which shows that the average UK content to be 48%, can be found here:https://www.renewableuk.com/news/362764/Offshore-Wind-Industry-Investment-in-the-UK.htm

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 4 of the RenewableUK publication entitled, A Guide to Measuring the UK Content of Offshore Wind Farms, published in March 2015, on how many occasions her Department has requested that offshore wind developers open up their calculations of UK content for independent review and audit.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department has not requested any offshore wind developer to open up their calculations of UK content. The Offshore Wind Programme Board reviews the data submitted to ensure the content methodology has been calculated correctly.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hospitals: Sutton

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a new hospital to serve the Epsom and St Helier University Hospital and Royal Marsden NHS trusts.

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of travel times to acute hospital services on outcomes for elderly patients.

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of patient travel times to each of the location options for the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Royal Marsden NHS Trusts proposed specialist emergency care hospital.

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the average age of patients in the (a) Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and (b)  Royal Marsden NHS Trusts.

Edward Argar: A consultation is currently underway. The consultation document sets out potential improvements in clinical outcomes for patients under three different options. This includes a new specialist emergency care hospital. The potential impact of the proposals on accessibility and travel times has been analysed as part of the consultation process and further detail can be found at the following link: https://improvinghealthcaretogether.org.uk/?s=baseline+travel+analysis The attached table shows the finished consultant episodes (FCE) and average age in Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust for the last three years.



pq627, 629, 630, 631 table
(Word Document, 12.82 KB)

Health Services: Sutton

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve quality of care for patients in the (a) Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and (b) Royal Marsden NHS Trusts.

Edward Argar: Both Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust are committed to improving patient care.The latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports on Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust show for the first time the trust being rated as Good overall. CQC findings indicated improvements and progress in most areas of care.The CQC continued to rate the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust as outstanding overall.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Hunterston B Power Station

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the business rates contribution of Hunterston B Nuclear Power Station has been to its relevant local authority as (a) a raw figure and (b) as a proportion of local authority income in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the business rates contribution of Torness Nuclear Power Station has been to its relevant local authority as (a) a raw figure and (b) as a proportion of local authority income in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the business rates contribution of Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station has been to its relevant local authority as (a) a raw figure and (b) as a proportion of local authority income in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the business rates contribution of Heysham 1 Nuclear Power Station has been to its relevant local authority as (a) a raw figure and (b) as a proportion of local authority income in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the business rates contribution of Heysham 2 Nuclear Power Station has been to its relevant local authority as (a) a raw figure and (b) as a percentage of local authority income in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the business rates contribution of Hinkley Point B Nuclear Power Station has been to its relevant local authority as (a) a raw figure and (b) as a proportion of local authority income in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the business rates contribution of Dungeness B Nuclear Power Station has been to its relevant local authority as (a) a raw figure and (b) as a proportion of local authority income in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the business rates contribution of Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station has been to its relevant local authority as (a) a raw figure and (b) as a proportion of local authority income in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Luke Hall: The Department does not hold information on the business rates collected by local authorities from individual ratepayers or in respect of particular properties.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government response to recommendation 9 of Eric Ollerenshaw’s 2016 Independent review of local Council Tax support schemes, whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the collection of data on the effect of their schemes on claimants.

Luke Hall: The Government collects data from local authorities on the amount of council tax income forgone as a result of providing local council tax support to working age and pensioner claimants. We do not consider that requiring local authorities to provide more detailed information would be proportionate. Local authorities are best placed to decide what level of council tax support is appropriate in particular circumstances.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, with reference to the Government's response to recommendation 10 of Eric Ollerenshaw’s 2016 Independent Review of Local Council Tax Support Schemes, if he will commission independent in-depth research into the effect of the introduction of local council tax support on low-income households affected by other reductions to social security benefits.

Luke Hall: The Government does not propose to pursue such research at this time, particularly as similar work has been carried out by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and others. However, we will continue to consider whether additional work might be helpful in further developing the Government’s understanding of local council tax support.

Council Tax Benefits

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings in the Institute of Fiscal Studies research, published in January 2019, on the effect of the abolition of council tax benefit.

Luke Hall: The Government has noted the findings of the Institute of Fiscal Studies’ research and closely monitors council tax collection rates, which were 97.0 per cent in 2018-19, as well as overall council tax levels and increases.

Local Council Tax Support Schemes Independent Review

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what external organisations his Department has engaged with in implementing its response to Eric Ollerenshaw's Independent Review of Local Council Tax Support Schemes.

Luke Hall: The Government engages with a wide range of organisations to understand the impact of council tax - including local council tax support schemes - on taxpayers.

Local Government: Carbon Emissions

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help local authorities to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

Luke Hall: 98 per cent of local authorities are taking action to reduce emissions from their areas, or from their own estate. Councils are vital agents for change, able to bring together local people and local opportunities, through effective use of planning, housing and waste management powers. My Department is engaging with councils and the Local Government Association, as well as other departments in Westminster, to ensure this vital role is supported appropriately by central government policy.This year’s proposed local government finance settlement for 2020-21 will provide access to the largest year-on-year increase in spending power in a decade, an increase of £2.9 billion or 4.4 per cent in real terms. Local authorities are able to spend non-ringfenced funding as they see fit to meet local priorities, including reducing their carbon footprint, and are accountable to their local electorate for their spending.

Hate Crime: Chinese

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle hate crime directed at the British-Chinese community.

Luke Hall: The Government takes hate crime and discrimination of any kind very seriously. We are a tolerant and welcoming multicultural society. There is no excuse for targeting British Chinese communities or anyone of any other background in this country. We have one of the strongest legal frameworks in the world to report, record and prosecute hate crime. I would encourage anyone who experiences hate crime to report it to the police.Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan published in October 2018 sets out a comprehensive programme of work across Government and the police. We fund hate crime reporting platforms, including True Vision, and we continue to engage and support communities of all backgrounds and origins.

Ground Rent

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his department has to publish a response to the Law Commission report on leasehold enfranchisement with reference to ground rent.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is looking to standardise the enfranchisement process and asked the Law Commission to review current arrangements to make them easier, faster, fairer and cheaper. The Law Commission has now published its first report to Government, on the valuation aspects of enfranchisement. The report, which follows a consultation by the Law Commission, sets out a number of options relating to valuation, including purchasing a freehold and extending the lease of a house or flat. We expect the Law Commission will report on the remaining aspects of enfranchisement later in the spring.  The Government will carefully consider the proposals outlined in the Law Commission’s report and set out its preferred way forward in due course.

Conditions of Employment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities to (a) protect and (b) improve the rights of workers in the global information and communications technology sector through their (i) policies on and (ii) processes for procuring that technology.

Luke Hall: Local authorities must act within their statutory powers, but they act independently of central government and are accountable to their electorate.Councils are responsible for funding their local services, and they make contracting and procurement decisions according to what is best for those services in line with legal requirements (such as the Public Contract Regulations 2015) and their own local policy considerations.We work closely with the sector to make sure councils are properly supported to improve and reform, drive efficiency and enhance effectiveness and resilienceIn September 2019 Cabinet Office published new guidance to help government departments identify and avoid the risk of modern slavery in their supply chains during procurement processes. The detailed guidance advocates a proportionate, risk-based approach, setting out specific measures to be adopted at each stage of the commercial life-cycle, from pre-procurement to contract management. It also sets out how existing contracts can be risk assessed and suggests measures to manage the risks identified.Whilst this is not mandatory for local government, many councils will use these as guidance to support or augment their procurement and commissioning policy development and practice or will develop their own tailored approach to consider potential risks such as inequality or poor working conditions in their supply chains.Furthermore, for local authorities who use the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) to purchase IT , CCS has partnered with Electronics Watch, a multi-stakeholder initiative, to improve conditions for workers at factory level in government ICT hardware supply chains. Electronics Watch’s work has led to workers in government supply chains being reimbursed for recruitment fees they paid.

Leasehold: Reform

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for bringing forward legislation on leasehold reform.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is taking forward a comprehensive programme of reform to end unfair practices in the leasehold market. This includes working with the Law Commission to make buying a freehold or extending a lease easier, quicker and more cost effective – and to reinvigorate Commonhold and Right to Manage. We are moving forward with legislation, particularly on measures to ban the sale of new leasehold houses, restrict ground rents to zero for future leases, give freehold homeowners equivalent rights to challenge unfair charges, and close loopholes to prevent unfair evictions and will introduce a bill when parliamentary time allows.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2020 to Question 5442 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, whether his Department has published all large-scale test reports and data that it has commissioned the Building Research Establishment to undertake.

Christopher Pincher: We have published all reports from BRE on the results and data from the large scale BS 8414 tests undertaken by the Department.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the names of the members of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel.

Christopher Pincher: Information on the Independent Advisory Panel including core membership can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/building-safety-independent-expert-advisory-panel .

Care Homes and Sheltered Housing: Insulation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2020, to Question 3225 on Care Homes: Insulation, when his Department plans to issue a formal consultation on banning combustible materials on care homes and sheltered housing below 11 metres in height.

Christopher Pincher: The Department is seeking views on the ban of the use of combustible materials in and on external walls of buildings, including building types covered and the height threshold. The consultation closes 13 April 2020 and is available at :https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-the-ban-on-the-use-of-combustible-materials-in-and-on-the-external-walls-of-buildings

City Deals: Cambridge

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to (a) abolish the Greater Cambridge City Deal and (b) transfer the functions and funding allocated to that deal to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

Mr Simon Clarke: Government has no plans to abolish the Greater Cambridge City Deal. The Greater Cambridge City Deal Investment Funds are subject to a 5-yearly Gateway Review process. We are currently undertaking this review with the Greater Cambridge Partnership and expect to conclude it by the end of the financial year.If the local area wants to propose changes to governance arrangements, they should bring forward proposals, agreed by all the signatories, and my officials could consult with the relevant departments to consider Government’s response.

Combined Authorities and Mayors: East Anglia

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to create an East Anglian Mayor and combined authority to cover Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government wants to see more devolution across the country, and we welcome locally backed proposals. The English Devolution White Paper will provide further information on our plans for full devolution across England, increasing the number of mayors and doing more devolution deals.

European Regional Development Fund: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to replace Image result for European Regional Development Fund grants for projects in the North East.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government is committed to levelling up every part of the UK, including the North East, and devolving power to people and placesNow we have left the European Union, we will create the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the domestic successor to EU structural funds including the European Regional Development Fund.   The UKSPF will bind together the whole of the United Kingdom, tackling inequality and deprivation in each of our four nations, cutting out bureaucracy and creating a fund which invests in UK priorities and is easier for local areas to access.

Ministry of Justice

Road Traffic Offences: Fines

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing speeding fines linked to the income of the offender.

Chris Philp: Courts are required by statute to take into account the financial circumstances of the offender, insofar as these can be assessed, when setting a fine for any offence including speeding offences. Guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council require the court to assess the seriousness of a speeding offence based upon the speed of the vehicle in relation to the speed limit of the road. Once the seriousness is established a fine amount is set which relates to the income of the offender. The relevant sentencing guideline is set out below:https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/speeding-revised-2017/ Where an individual fails to provide information about their financial circumstances, the court may assess the fine amount as it sees fit and, the sentencing guideline provides for the court to fall back on an average earnings figure. Full details on fines can be found here:https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/explanatory-material/magistrates-court/item/fines-and-financial-orders/approach-to-the-assessment-of-fines-2/1-approach-to-the-assessment-of-fines-introduction/ In simple cases the police have the power to offer a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN), which consists of a fixed non-means-tested fine, and penalty points. The Department for Transport is responsible for fixing the penalty levels for speeding related FPNs. FPNs do not take means into account as they are designed to operate as a simple on-the-spot process. Individuals may refuse a FPN, in which case the matter may be taken before a court.

Offenders: Health

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made on publishing a health and justice plan; what the timetable is for publishing that plan; and which (a) Government departments, (b) arms-length bodies and (c) external stakeholders are involved in publishing that plan.

Lucy Frazer: The health and justice partners include: Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHSE/I, and Public Health England (PHE). In English prisons, this relationship has been formally set out in the National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare in England, which has been in place since April 2018. Its associated workplan sets out a detailed programme of work, agreed by health and justice partners, to deliver safe, decent, effective healthcare for offenders. Changes in Ministers in both Departments over the past six months, followed by the General Election, means we have been reconsidering how we best deliver our objectives in this area. In order to improve health outcomes and tackle the root causes of offending it is essential we take a whole system approach to healthcare provision for people in the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health and Social Care are continuing to work together and with partners to articulate a coherent picture of how healthcare is delivered throughout the criminal justice pathway, from the point of arrest through to release.

Counter-terrorism

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that proposals to amend counter-terrorism legislation will maintain the civil liberties of UK citizens.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that proposals to amend counter-terrorism legislation complies with international human rights law.

Chris Philp: The Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill acts only upon those who have criminal convictions imposed by lawful authority of the UK criminal courts. The Bill does not change the sentences of individuals convicted of relevant terrorism offence - both European and domestic case law confirm that release provisions relate to the administration of a sentence and do not form part of the penalty. On introduction of the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill in the House of Commons, Minister Buckland made a statement under section 19(1)(a) of the Human Rights Act 1998 (“HRA 1998”) that in his view the provisions of the Bill are compatible with Convention rights.

Reoffenders: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences was for (a) men and (b) women given an immediate custodial sentence in each of the last two years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number was of previous offences committed  by (a) men and (b) women who were given a custodial sentence of (i) up to six months, (ii) six to 12 months, (iii) 12 months to 2 years, (iv) 2 to 4 years, (v) 4-8 years, (vi) 8-20 years, (vii) over 20 years and (viii) life imprisonment in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the largest number of offences committed by a (a) man and (b)  woman was prior to being sent to prison for the first time in each of the last three years.

Chris Philp: The information requested is provided in the tables attached with this answer. These tables include data on:The highest number of previous offences for (a) men and (b) women given an immediate custodial sentence in each of the last two yearsThe average number of previous offences committed by (a) men and (b) women who were given a custodial sentence of (i) up to six months, (ii) six to 12 months, (iii) 12 months to 2 years, (iv) 2 to 4 years, (v) 4-8 years, (vi) 8-20 years, (vii) over 20 years and (viii) life imprisonment in the last year for which information is availableThe largest number of offences committed by a (a) man and (b) woman prior to being sent to prison for the first time in each of the last three years



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.63 KB)

Offensive Weapons: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences of possession of a blade or point was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences of assault was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences of possession of an offensive weapon was for people  given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences of sexual assault was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences relating to the Public Order Act 1986 was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences of theft was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of total previous offences of robbery was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of total previous offences of burglary was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous drug-related offences was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for those offences in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences of criminal damage was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of total previous offences of fraud was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences of driving whilst disqualified was for people given an immediate custodial sentence for that offence in the last year for which information is available.

Chris Philp: Data on the highest number of previous cautions and convictions for a specified offence for offenders convicted of that specified offence and sentenced to immediate custody in the year ending March 2019 can be viewed in the attached table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.38 KB)

Prime Minister

Climate Change

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Prime Minister, when he plans to hold the first meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on climate change.

Boris Johnson: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member the Member for Oxford East on 7 January 2020, UIN 224. https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-12-19/224/

UK Relations With EU: Sustainable Development

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to the Written Statement of 3 February 2020, HCWS86 on  UK/ EU relations, for what reasons that statement did not refer to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Boris Johnson: The written ministerial statement sets out the Government’s proposed approach to the negotiations with the EU about our future relationship. Leaving the EU does not change our world-leading ambitions on the environment. We have a long history of environmental protection which predates membership of the EU, and we will safeguard and improve on this record.The UK Government is committed to supporting implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. A comprehensive account of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals setting out how government, business, civil society and others are contributing to them both at home and around the world is available on gov.uk. It also sets out areas of further work and next steps.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-voluntary-national-review-of-the-sustainable-development-goals

Department for Work and Pensions

Unemployment Benefits

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of variations in the ratio of unemployment benefit recipients, including job seeker's allowance and universal credit to ILO-definition unemployment by (a) age group, (b) region, (c) previous occupation and (d) other segmentation in the last five years.

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the trend in the ratio of unemployment benefit recipients, including job seeker's allowance and universal credit to ILO-definition unemployment in the last five years.

Mims Davies: Over the last five years, the ratio between the Alternative Claimant Count (ACC) measure of claimant unemployment[1], and the ONS official measure of unemployment (based on the International Labour Organisation’s definition of unemployment)[2], has increased. This is shown in the table below and chart attached. ACC: claimant  unemployment level (thousands)ONS National Statistic: unemployment level (thousands)Ratio: ACC / UnemploymentAug-141,5452,0440.76Aug-151,2991,8380.71Aug-161,2191,6910.72Aug-171,1941,5000.80Aug-181,1951,4460.83Aug-191,2631,3740.92  The two measures of unemployment should not be expected to match:Some individuals who are unemployed according to the ACC measure of claimant unemployment may be working but with low earnings (and thus would continue to receive support). They would then be included in the ACC measure of claimant unemployment but not the ONS official measure of unemployment.Some individuals who are unemployed according to the ONS official measure may not be eligible for means-tested support, or may not wish to claim the support available. They would then be included in the ONS official measure of unemployment but not the ACC measure of claimant unemployment. The tables below show how the ratio between the two measures of unemployment has varied over the last five years, for different ages, genders and regions. The variation by previous occupation is not available.  AgeACC: claimant  unemployment level (thousands)ONS National Statistic:  unemployment level (thousands)Ratio: ACC / UnemploymentAug-14Aug-19Aug-14Aug-19Aug-14Aug-1916-242842108305700.340.3725-343883224112630.941.2235-494903984742631.031.5250+3843343392781.131.20  GenderACC: claimant  unemployment level (thousands)ONS National Statistic:  unemployment level (thousands)Ratio: ACC / UnemploymentAug-14Aug-19Aug-14Aug-19Aug-14Aug-19Men8446721,1257640.750.88Women7025919196090.760.97 Region ACC: claimant  unemployment level (thousands)ONS National Statistic:  unemployment level (thousands)Ratio: ACC / UnemploymentAug-14Aug-19Aug-14Aug-19Aug-14Aug-19NE8975122770.730.97NW1911672231660.861.01Y&H1631192071160.791.02E Mids107831391130.770.73W Mids1701472051240.831.18East113911641130.690.81London2512063022330.830.88SE1411222161560.650.78SW9075135800.670.94Wales8563104590.811.06Scotland1441151741130.831.02   For nearly all of the categories (with the exception of East Midlands), the ratio of ‘ACC claimant unemployment’ to ‘ONS official unemployment’ has increased between 2014 and 2019. This is predominantly due to a decrease in the ONS official measure of unemployment. [1] Alterative Claimant Count: Provides a consistent measure of claimant unemployed by modelling what the Claimant Count would have been had Universal Credit been fully rolled-out.[2] ILO-definition of unemployment: Individuals without a job who have been actively seeking work within the last four weeks, and are available to start work within the next two weeks.



Comparison of Unemployment level and ACC
(Word Document, 47.63 KB)

Universal Credit

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the High Court judgment of 11 January 2019, [2019] EWHC 23 (Admin), on universal credit and periodic assessments of income, what submissions on remedies her Department has made to the court.

Will Quince: The judgment affects a small number of people on Universal Credit (UC), with specific characteristics. The Department is currently appealing this judgment, and as such will await the outcome of that process before taking any further action.Monthly assessment periods align to the way the majority of employees are paid and also allows UC to be adjusted each month. This means that if a claimant's income falls, they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their UC.The amount of UC paid to claimants reflects the actual circumstances of a household during each monthly assessment period, as closely as possible.

Violence and Harassment Convention

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to ratify International Labour Organization convention 190 on ending violence in the workplace; and if she will make a statement.

Mims Davies: Violence and harassment at work are unacceptable and the government is committed to ensuring men and women are protected in the workplace. The Government strongly supported and welcomed the adoption of ILO Convention 190 on Ending Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. My Department is currently taking the steps necessary to ensure full cross-Government consideration of ratification, including consulting the Devolved Administrations. Once this process has been completed, we will inform Parliament of the Governments intentions with regards to ratification.

Universal Credit

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of aligning the timescales for payment of universal credit and direct payments to landlords to ensure that tenants are not falsely shown to be in arrears.

Will Quince: Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a Managed Payment to Landlord (MPtL), are available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs will only be considered where a lack of financial capability poses a risk to the claimant, or their family, and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.

Loneliness

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to  the Answer of 4 November 2019 to Question 5467 on Loneliness, whether her Department has published the refreshed government guidance on the Family Test.

Mims Davies: We have been working very closely with our cross-government Family Test Network, including officials from DCMS on the refreshed guidance on applying the Family Test. We intend to make the improved guidance available by March 2020.

Universal Credit: Fraud

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many fraudulent cases of universal credit advance were (a) recorded and (b) processed at Jobcentres in (i) Preston, (ii) Blackburn, (iii) Blackpool and (iv) Bolton; what the value was of those fraudulent claims; and how much each claimant had to repay as a result of a fraudulent claim made on their behalf by a third party in the last two years.

Will Quince: I estimate that providing the information you request would incur disproportionate costs. However, let me assure you that the Department takes this issue very seriously. We have set up a dedicated team to investigate this type of fraud and are proactively addressing it by using messaging on social media to remind people of the importance of safeguarding their identity, as well as shutting down social media sites that promote this fraud. We have also made changes to the Universal Credit advance application process. Universal Credit claimants who wish to apply for a new claim advance are now required to attend a face to face interview. This change will help protect claimants from identity fraud and becoming victims of third party scams. If a claimant has been the victim of a scam, and has not benefited from an advance in any way, they will not be asked to repay it. In these cases, we will seek recovery from the perpetrator of the scam. The Department considers all cases on their own merits and decisions are made on the strength of the evidence provided.

Business: Disability

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to encourage private businesses to be more accessible to people with disabilities.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has made a commitment to publish a new National Strategy for Disabled People in 2020, focusing on removing barriers to ensure disabled people can lead a life of opportunity and fully participate in British society.Business has a vital role to play in making its products and services more accessible. In support of that objective, I have appointed 18 Sector Champions to use their influential status and leadership to drive change across in individual business sectors. The sectors currently covered are Advertising, Banking, Broadcast Media, Gaming, Hotels, Leisure (Physical Activity), Live Music, Retail, Tourism, Transport - Airports, Buses and Trains, Arts and Culture, Insurance, Technology, Countryside and Heritage, Web Accessibility, Brand and Design, and Products and Spaces. In addition, the Retail Forum was established to improve accessibility and inclusion of its premises and services for disabled people. The Government is also working to support people with disabilities who are in work or wish to work. Over 16,000 employers have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme, which provides employers with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace. The Access to Work scheme offers a discretionary grant of up to £59,200 per year for in-work support above the level of reasonable adjustments for people whose disability or health condition affects the way they do their job.

Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2020 to Question 10760, on Universal Credit, how many case managers were working on the roll-out of universal credit in December (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016, (d) 2017, (e) 2018 and (f) 2019; and what her estimate is of the average number of cases managed by a case manager in each of those months.

Will Quince: Between November 2014 and September 2017, Universal Credit Full Service was going through its Pilot phase, during which resourcing levels were regularly reviewed in line with the growing needs of the Pilot. Upon conclusion of the Universal Credit Pilot in September 2017, UC Full Service began rolling out throughout the remainder of the country in a phased approach, which concluded in December 2018. The latest published Caseload position for UC stands at 2,084,952 cases (August 2019 figure), at which point there were 4,508 Case Managers deployed within Universal Credit Service Centres supporting UC claimants, with each Case Manager on average handling 463 cases.

Disability Living Allowance: Older People

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people receiving disability living allowance are over state retirement age.

Justin Tomlinson: National Statistics on Disability Living Allowance recipients by client type is published and is available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml Guidance for users is available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Recycling: OECD Countries

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether OECD countries have internal validation systems that ensure that imported plastic waste is treated for recycling purposes to a level equivalent to that of the UK.

Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State has not assessed validation systems operated by other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for imports of waste. Movements of waste between countries of the OECD have been supervised and controlled under an intra-OECD Control System since 1992. The OECD Council Decision C(2001)107 FINAL provides a legal framework for the control of movements of wastes within the OECD area to ensure the environmentally sound and economically efficient recovery of wastes. Countries apply to the OECD Council to become a member of the OECD. A technical review is then carried out to evaluate the country’s policies and practices and its ability to implement OECD standards, including the Council Decision that controls intra-OECD movements of waste. This review process will normally result in a number of measures a country must implement to demonstrate alignment with OECD requirements. The UK cannot ultimately dictate how its waste is managed once that waste leaves the UK. There is a system of international rules on shipments which must be followed. UK businesses involved in the export of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. Any operators found to be illegally exporting waste can face severe sanctions - from financial penalties to imprisonment for a period of up to two years.

Food: Waste

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to eradicate domestic food waste.

Rebecca Pow: Waste is a devolved matter. Data recently published by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the Government’s delivery body on food waste, shows household food waste reduced in the UK by over 1.4 million tonnes between 2007 and 2018. That’s a fall of almost 18%. However, there is more to do. The Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS), published in December 2018, outlined our continued support for WRAP’s citizen food waste strategy to reduce food waste in our homes, for example through the Love Food Hate Waste Campaign. In addition, a Citizen Food Waste Behaviour Change Grant was launched on 30 January 2020 to identify new behaviour change interventions that can be tailored to food waste prevention. Ben Elliot, our Food Surplus and Waste Champion also recently announced the first ever ‘Food Waste Action Week’ from Monday 11 May and called on households and businesses across the country to join forces to reduce food waste. We also want households to be able to separate their food waste from residual waste, which will prevent it going to landfill. Following support for separate weekly food waste collections at public consultation, the Environment Bill proposes legislation that will require all collectors of waste to collect a core set of materials from households, businesses and other organisations such as schools from 2023.

Air Pollution

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has plans to introduce legislative proposals to reduce the level of PM2.5 particles in the air.

Rebecca Pow: The Clean Air Strategy (CAS), published in January 2019, set out the comprehensive action required across all parts of Government to improve air quality, and reduce public exposure to particulate matter pollution. In line with the CAS, Defra consulted on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood between August–October 2018. The proposals in this consultation included:Restrictions on the sale of wet wood for domestic burningPhasing out the sale of traditional house coalApplying sulphur standards and smoke emission limits to all manufactured solid fuels We expect to publish the response to this consultation in the near future. The Environment Bill, which was re-introduced to Parliament on 30 January, also establishes a legally binding duty to set a target for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), demonstrating our commitment to take further action on the air pollutant that has the most significant impact on human health. The Bill contains measures to reduce emissions from domestic solid fuel burning by creating a simpler mechanism for local authorities seeking to reduce smoke emissions within their areas.